Design and Experimental Validation of a Marsupial Long-Endurance UAV-UGV System

Over the last decades, we have experienced an exponential growth in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for inspection operations. However, the reduced flight autonomy of electric powered UAVs can limit their applicability in long duration operations. In this paper, we propose a marsupial system composed of a UAV and a Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). The system is made with off-the-shelf components that can greatly extend the flight duration of the UAV by powering it from the UGV using a tether, and reducing the mobility limitations by the coordinated motion of the system. We present the hardware design, making emphasis in the decisions made and presenting different alternatives depending on the application. Moreover, the software architecture for operating the device, based on the Robotic Operating System (ROS) is presented. Finally, the system is validated in experiments lasting more than one hour.